Slow Cooker Venison Stew | Thick & Hearty

Rating

5 stars ( reviews)

Keywords

stew, venison stew, slow cooker

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. venison stew meat (or elk, antelope, moose, beef, bear – really any red meat)
• ¼ cup  all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. salt, divided
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1-2 Tbsp. high heat tolerant oil or fat (duck/deer/beef fat, avocado oil, clarified butter)
• 1 lb. baby, gold potatoes, quartered
• 3-4 large carrots, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. Herbs de Provence
• 1 (15oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 4 cups beef or venison stock
• ½ cup red wine (dry red like a Cabernet or Bordeaux is lovely)
• 5-10 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• Optional: 3 Tbsp. corn starch, arrowroot powder or tapioca starch

Categories

• Main Dish

Cuisine

• French American

Reviews

• Stayc on 2022-04-05 (5 stars):
  I'm eating this right now and it turned out so delicious and the meat is so tender--like fall apart tender. I did have to make a couple of adjustments. I didn't have herbs de Provence, so I made my own minus the lavender. I used homemade chicken broth because that's all I had, and I used crushed tomatoes, because again, that's all I had. And I used apple cider vinegar because I didn't have red wine vinegar. After searing the meat, I declared the pan with the vinegar. I prepared everything the night before and slow cooked it today for almost 9 hours. I was going to use my instantpot but realized I don't have a glass lid and for some reason it only slow cooks for 4 hours. So I used my old trusty slow cooker. I would totally make this again. Thanks for this delicious recipe.
• Melissa on 2022-06-29 (5 stars):
  Made this with gluten free flour, otherwise followed the recipe exactly. It was absolutely delicious! I’ll definitely be making this again! The herbs de providence makes all the difference!! Yummy
• Karen R on 2023-09-26 (5 stars):
  How small did you chop your veggies? I used regular sized carrots, cut into 1-1.5 inch lengths, then quartered the fat parts lengthwise. The gold potatoes I used were of normal small stature for golds, and I also quartered them as instructed and they turn out perfectly! I did get started a bit late (prep time for me was almost 2 hours 😅🙈) so I cooked on high for about an hour, then dropped to low for the last 7. Maybe try the cook time like that if your veggies were also small? 😊
• Karen R on 2023-09-26 (5 stars):
  Oh my good gravy!! This is THE BEST stew I've ever made! And I usually don't like my own cooking 🤣. I used deer scraps my husband had set aside for stew. I did rinse my meat well before patting dry, as the blood in game meat tends to make that Signature "gamey" flavor. I didn't have the Herbs de Provence, so I made my own, but didn't have summer savory, so did a little googling and substituted sage, and no lavender in mine). I was also out of diced tomatoes and didn't miss them at all (but would use if I had them). I did miss the part of the thickening instructions that said to add the slurry after 6 hours, so we ended up pulling the liquid out and creating a gravy that way with it. For anyone else in that dilemma, we used: 4-6 tbs butter, melted in a pot Approx 1/4-1/3 cup AP flour Cook over medium heat until desired color of rue is achieved (I love a dark rue, but hubs prefers light, so that's what we went with). Add stew broth and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir back into meat and veggies and serve! Sorry for the approximations - hubs is notorious for vague measurements and he was in charge of gravy making. Everyone wanted seconds, but it's very filling, so we're looking foward to leftovers! This is getting printed and added to my must make again folder 💙
• Robyn on 2023-10-20 (5 stars):
  I hit the 5 star review stars several times because this recipe is WAY MORE than 5 stars! Out of the ballpark, home run, swinging for the fence and outta the stratosphere! I made this with elk meat a friend gave us and with the exception of less carrots did it exactly as written. I can’t stress enough how fast you must go make this! Thank you ever so much for the recipe. Question…we’ve run out of the game meat we were gifted (waiting on his up coming hunt for more) can I use this same recipe for regular beef for beef stew….the flavor combo was tantalizing!
• Robyn on 2023-10-21 (5 stars):
  Outstanding recipe I’d give it 5 stars times 100! The only thing we changed about the recipe was to use less carrots personal dislike for the tuber lol. We used elk that a dear friend gave us but now that we’ve used up all of it would you think you could use all the same ingredients to make regular beef stew?
• Sarah on 2023-10-29 (5 stars):
  Turned out excellent! Didn't have any wine on hand so just subbed extra beef broth. Really good, the veggies were perfectly soft, not mushy and meat tender. Big hit, will definitely make again.
• Judy on 2023-12-01 (5 stars):
  My husband said this was “SUPREME!” And, yes, it was definitely that good! Since I didn’t have any red wine, I used dry sherry. I actually deglazed the pan with it after browning the meat. I went a little overboard with the Herbs de Provence, but that was my fault. It was still delicious! Thank you for this wonderful recipe which I’ll make again!
• Greta on 2023-12-30 (5 stars):
  Delicious and comforting on a cold winter night. I used elk and it was a hit with my family. This will now be our go-to stew recipe!
• Chris S on 2024-01-04 (5 stars):
  Best venison stew I have ever made ! Followed your instructions to the "T" right down to the crusty bread ! I actually had given a bowl to a friend to take home and at about 7 oclock that evening received a text report ~ The stew was delicious ! Good stuff !!
• Mrs B on 2024-01-25 (5 stars):
  About to make this for 40 people!! any tips on what i can to make it stretch a little further without using a whole deer?!?
• Shawn Froment on 2024-01-31 (5 stars):
  So easy and the best tasting receipe I've tried yet. Kudos
• Cat on 2024-04-22 (5 stars):
  Fan favorite over here! Delicious, hearty, healthy, and a crowd pleaser for even my friends who are hesitant to try venison! Thanks for the great recipe.
• Ryan on 2024-11-17 (5 stars):
  Delicious! Had a buddy give me some stew meat along with a few other cuts from a deer he had bagged and had processed, and found this recipe on Google. I'd recommend the read ahead of the actual recipe; I used beef fat as recommended to cook the venison in (I was low on bacon drippings) and am sober so I used the red wine vinegar rather than the red wine (I used to use inexpensive Cabernets for stew and soup recipes). Very full flavor and the veggies were perfect. I used thirded baby carrots out of experience for tenderness and chose white onion. Will be back for other recipes in the future
• Casey on 2025-01-14 (5 stars):
  Stew turned out incredible! I made no substitutions. I will definitely be making again!
• Moni on 2025-01-19 (5 stars):
  First time cooking venison. Followed the recipe pretty closely but didn’t drain the tomatoes, used sodium free chicken broth and increased wine to a full cup. The stew was so good, I had three bowls within a couple hours - I couldn’t resist!
• Brooks on 2025-09-09 (5 stars):
  I made this today with venison from a local farm. It was delicious. The meat had a lot of silver skin and I got most of it, some remained. But the meat was perfect. I only cooked it ~7 hours, but my crock pot tends to run hot, so this is typical. I used a malbec from Argentina and I deglazed the meat pan, which wasn't in the recipe. And I guessed on the herbs using whatever was available locally and in my garden. It was a hit! My family loved it. I don't do a lot of stews but I have made a few in the past.
• M Cornick on 2025-10-27 (5 stars):
  This was incredible! I did modify it. I did not add red wine as I did not have any. In place of the Herbs de Provence, I added thyme, savory, basil, and oregano ( about 1/4 teaspoon of each) along with one teaspoon of minced garlic and salt and pepper.( not tons). Also, I had less meat so I used my judgment and added less veggies. Elk was my meat of choice. Otherwise, I followed the directions fairly closely. I floured the meat. Sautéed until no pink ran. I just used water instead of broth. I then cooked on high for 5 hours in my slow cooker. To die for!!! Thanks for sharing.
• Joneen Sargent on 2026-01-27 (5 stars):
  This recipe is perfect! I’ve been cooking venison for 40 years and this is the best stew ever!